Cheese and Butter as a Source of Health-Promoting Fatty Acids in the Human Diet

Simple Summary Cheese and butter are dairy products that are very popular among consumers. Technological progress has led to a multitude of cheese types available on the market, varying in texture and flavor. Cheeses are an important source of a wide variety of biologically active substances, among which specific fatty acids are of utmost importance. Butter is the oldest animal fat known to man and occupies an important place among the fat products on the market. Butter is a product with high nutritional value and health-promoting properties, as well as great flavor and aroma values. The quality of milk fat is determined, primarily, by the composition of its fatty acids, the properties of which depend on the length of the carbon chain and the presence of unsaturated bonds. The fatty acid composition of cheese and butter varies according to milk origin (e.g., species and breed), rearing conditions (e.g., feeding), and, in the case of cheese, it also depends on cheese-making technology. This work presents the fatty acid composition, including the contents of CLA and trans C18:1 and C18:2 isomers, in fat extracted from cheeses and butters available on the Polish market and the comparison of their lipid quality indices. The assessment of fatty acid composition, including the content of conjugated linoleic acid cis9trans11 C18:2 (CLA) and trans C18:1 and C18:2 isomers in fat extracted from selected high-fat dairy products commonly available to consumers in retail sale on the Polish market, and a comparison of their indicators as to the quality of lipids was the aim of the study. The experimental materials were hard cheeses, white-mold cheeses, blue-veined cheeses, and butters. The conducted study demonstrated that various contents of groups of fatty acids and the values of lipid quality indices were found in the tested products. Butters turned out to be richer sources of short-chain, branched-chain, and odd-chain fatty acids. The fat extracted from butters and white-mold cheeses had a significantly higher (p < 0.05) content of n-3 fatty acids. Lower values of the n-6/n-3 ratio were determined in the fat extracted from butters and white-mold cheeses. The highest values of the thrombogenicity index (TI) were found in fat extracted from hard cheeses. Significantly lower values (p < 0.05) of the atherogenicity index (AI) and values of the H/H ratio were found in fat from mold cheeses. Fat from butters and white-mold cheeses had a significantly higher (p < 0.05) content of CLA and total content of trans C18:1.

Automated summary

Cheese and butter are popular dairy products with varying fatty acid compositions. Butter is a nutritious and flavorful product, while cheese contains a wide variety of biologically active substances. Butters and white-mold cheeses are rich in healthy fatty acids, while hard cheeses have higher thrombogenicity index.